She kissed him back, clinging to him, running her hands down his chest. Before they could travel any lower, he pulled back and cut off the kissing. “Right now, though, I should get you home,” he growled, breaking apart their bodies before he wasn’t able.
“You sure?” she whispered.
No. He was not at all sure. But the cold hardness of the rock was enough to remind him. “This isn’t the most comfortable place to make out,” he said.
“I noticed.” She laughed. “And I really do need to get home,” she agreed, scrambling off the rock and to her feet as though her balance had been compromised.
He could relate. He steadied her with a hand against her lower back. “We can go on a date in Vegas.” He packed plenty of heat into the suggestive expression. “Then you can spend the night. If you want to.”
The slightest hesitation flickered across her face but then she smiled. “Sure. It’ll give us something to look forward to.”
Hell yes, it would. He’d be counting down the minutes.
* * *
Doctor examination rooms were all the same. Bland white walls. Lights too bright. Inevitably one cheesy framed picture that someone had likely ordered as part of a special offer per dozen. From the chair where she sat next to Luis, Jessa studied the amateurish painting of an eagle perched on the sturdy branch of an evergreen tree. The creature’s eyes glowered at her from all the way across the room. Not exactly the most comforting image while waiting to hear your fate.
A clock on the wall ticked off the seconds. Earlier, while she’d killed time in the waiting room, Luis had undergone some tests. Then the nurse had invited her into the exam room while they waited to hear from the doctor. And they’d been waiting ever since.
Luis sat tall and composed, much better off than she was, evidently. The anticipation of waiting for the doctor was slowly killing her. Her knee pumped with the frantic beat of her heart. What was taking so long? Had they found something terrible? Why hadn’t the doctor come in yet? She watched the clock, tucking her hands under her thighs so she wouldn’t fidget.
“You okay?” Luis asked, without turning his head to face her.
“No. I’m not.” She couldn’t lie. He’d see right through her, anyway. “This place is terrible. So depressing. I mean, would it hurt to put some color on the walls? And what’s this?” she demanded, snatching a magazine off the small countertop next to them. “Financial Times? Are you kidding me? Who wants to sit in here and read boring old investment articles?” Indignation rolled off her face in waves, giving release to her misplaced anger. Sometimes anger was easier. Because truth be told, she was downright scared. The what-ifs had been stirring a potion of fear that boiled in her stomach. She wanted to run from here. Far away. Before they found out the worst.
And God, she couldn’t let herself think about last night. How perfect it had been. How truly wonderful Lance had treated her. Even while she’d withheld the knowledge that his father might be dying of some horrible disease…
“Everything will be all right, Jess,” Luis said with a quiet confidence.
That only got her more riled up. “What if it’s not?” Her throat was raw. How could she go through losing another father one year after her own had left her? Yes, that was selfish, but there it was. She loved Luis, and the thought of watching him suffer made her want to double over.
The old man patted her hand with warm affection. “I’m not worried, honey. Don’t matter what the doc says. I’ve got everything I’ve ever wanted. My boys are all home. Together. Don’t matter what’s wrong with me.” He spoke as though he knew something was wrong, as though he’d already accepted it.
So why couldn’t she?
“Saw Lance’s truck drive in awful late last night,” Luis mentioned casually. “I reckon you two had a good time on your date?”
“A great time.” The flashbacks of Lance touching her and kissing her with such tenderness filled her with warmth and longing. It was the best date she’d ever been on…
“You didn’t tell him about the appointment?” his father asked carefully.
Her eyes fell shut. “No. I didn’t.”
“Sorry, Jess. I know that had to be real hard.”
“It was.” She tried not to glare at him. She loved the man, but she hated this. “I don’t want to lie to him.”
“I’ll tell him when the time is right. I promise. As soon as—”
The door swung open, leaving the promise unfinished. Jessa snapped her spine to full attention as the neurologist—a short man with a neatly trimmed rim of graying hair—walked in.
“Sorry for the wait,” he said briskly as he plunked himself on the rolling stool across from them. “I wanted to take a few extra minutes to go over your test results.” He fumbled through a manila folder and Jessa glimpsed stacks of pictures. MRI scans, charts, diagrams. She turned to look at Luis, her mouth gaping. He must’ve been undergoing tests for months…
The doctor focused only on Luis, his expression a mask of polite detachment. “Based on all we’ve learned over the past months, and my conversations with your primary physician, I believe we have a diagnosis.”
Jessa inhaled deeply, trying her hardest to be brave, trying to find strength for Luis. She snuck her hand over to his, holding on tightly, desperate to siphon some of his courage.
“I believe you’re battling Parkinson’s disease. And it would appear you’ve had it for some time,” the doctor went on in a monotone.
“That’s what Dr. Potter thought.” Luis’s voice didn’t even waver. He wasn’t surprised. He’d known for months. But Jessa was reeling. In anger, in sadness, in fear of how Lance would handle a blow like this…
“There’s no way to know how quickly it will progress or exactly how the symptoms will manifest. Parkinson’s is difficult to define. Each patient is different.” The man handed Luis a large envelope. “Here are some resources. Potential treatments. Results from the latest trials. There are definitely methods we can try to slow down the progression. Medications, certain therapies.”
“Is it fatal?” Jessa choked out, needing to know the prognosis.
“Not necessarily.” For the first time since he’d come in, the doctor acknowledged her with direct eye contact. “But there are complications. It makes life significantly more challenging due to the mental and mobility implications.”
“Okay,” she whispered, nodding, trying to swallow past the emotion that snagged her throat. “Okay.”
“I’d like to set up a meeting in two weeks. To give you time to digest this and read through the literature we’ve provided.” The doctor stood, already on his way to the door. “Then we can formulate the treatment plan you feel is best for you and your situation.”
He spoke like this was an everyday occurrence, like he hadn’t just upturned Luis’s world with one sentence. Fury climbed up to Jessa’s face. She stood, too. “That’s it? Shouldn’t we start treatment now? Shouldn’t we discuss all of the options now?” Her voice teetered on the brink of a breakdown, but seriously? They shouldn’t waste any time!
The doctor looked at her patiently. “We find it’s best in these situations to allow patients some time to process everything before we move forward with a treatment plan.”
Her hands fisted tightly, the anger needing release. “But—”
“It’s all right, Jess.” Luis rested his hand on her shoulder to quiet her. “Thank you, Dr. Ellis.” While Jessa wanted to wring the aloof doctor’s neck, Luis reached out to shake the man’s hand. “I’ll see you in a couple weeks.”
After the door closed, Jessa turned away from Luis so he wouldn’t see her tears, but he wouldn’t let her hide. The man took her arms in his hands, turning her to face him. “I’m not afraid. Not stupid enough to think it’ll be easy, but I don’t fear it, either.” He offered her a comforting smile. “I have everything I’ve ever wanted,” he said again. “My boys are home.”
“So you’ll tell Lance?” she asked, her voice watered down
with tears.
“After the competition,” he promised, pulling her into a reassuring hug. “After the competition, I’ll tell them everything.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Hell yes. Lance swung himself up into the driver’s seat of his pickup. He’d just finished kicking Wild Willy’s ass. Clocked his best time yet. As in ever. Right after he’d hung it up for the day, he’d rushed through a quick shower and even slapped on some cologne. He may have told Jessa he’d take her out in Vegas, but he couldn’t wait that long. Besides, they were supposed to leave tomorrow night for Worlds, and he wanted to bring her up to speed on the details. They’d already added her to the plane reservations and the suite had been booked. One of their suites wouldn’t get much use, but it was best to keep up appearances.
Lance sped down the drive, kicking up a trail of dust behind his wheels. He could’ve called her first, but where was the fun in that? Since he’d dropped her off and kissed her on her doorstep last night, he’d been aching to see her, to feel that soft body of hers against his. It’d taken him ten minutes of sitting in his truck to actually pull away from her house. He would’ve gone in, if she’d invited him, but she hadn’t. After they shared a rather hot kiss that could’ve been considered a warm-up for other stuff, she’d said she had an early morning and should get inside. And he’d had to talk himself down the whole way home.
Figuring she’d still be at the shelter, he headed in that direction, tapping his hands to the rhythms playing on the country station. During his jaunt down Main Street, he waved to Kat Temple, the lone female deputy within a hundred-mile radius, and even at Hank Green, who was walking his cat on a leash. Because why the hell not?
Outside the shelter, he didn’t see Jessa’s car, but he parked anyway. He could wait until she got back if need be. Once he approached the windows, though, he saw that the lights were on, so he tried the door. It was open.
Cassidy sat at the front desk, working on the computer. She sat straighter as he came in.
“Hey,” he said. “Didn’t expect to see you here today.” Far as he knew, she covered only on the weekends or when the boss was away. “Is Jessa around?”
“Oh.” Her blue eyes grew round and her gaze wandered. “Um. No. Actually. She’s not here.” There was no evidence of her typical friendly smile. Why did she look so worried?
“What about my father?” he asked, his stomach coming unsettled. Something wasn’t right. According to Levi, Jessa had picked up Luis early that morning. He’d told him they had a lot to do at the shelter today…
“Um. Your dad’s not here, either.”
“Where are they?”
“They’re out,” she said, staring hard at the computer screen. To avoid his probing gaze, if he wasn’t mistaken.
“Out where?” He hadn’t meant for it to sound so harsh, but this was starting to feel like a game.
“On a call.”
“Oh.” Why hadn’t she said that in the first place? From the intensity of her worried expression, it had to be something bad. “Where are they? Maybe I can help out.”
“I’m not sure,” she mumbled, but Cassidy was a very bad liar. Her eyes shifted too much. And her voice carried the hoarseness of a bald-faced lie.
“What do you mean you’re not sure?” He pinned her with his eyes, trying to read what she wouldn’t tell him. “If she called you in to cover for her, she must’ve told you where she was going.”
A sigh broke through her tight lips. “I think it’s best if you talk to Jessa. Okay?” Without waiting for an answer, she went back to typing.
He reached over her and shut off the damn monitor. “What the hell is going on?” Something big, judging from the way she was putting him off. And he didn’t like being the only one in the dark. “She wouldn’t have called you in for an hour or two…” He knew that much. And Jessa rarely went out on calls outside the county limits.
“I’m not telling you anything,” Cassidy said stubbornly. “It’s not my place or my business. Understand?”
No. He didn’t understand. Didn’t understand how worry could boil up in his gut this way when he’d felt fine only five minutes ago. Was Jessa all right? Had something happened to her? “Is she with Dad?” He let his eyes beg. “Please. You at least have to tell me that.” So he’d know whatever she was off dealing with she wasn’t alone.
“Yes.” Cassidy sighed. “She’s with your father. He asked her to go to Denver with him today.”
That stood him up straighter. “What?”
“That’s all I’m gonna say.” She walked to the door and held it open for him, gesturing for him to leave. “If you want to know more you’ll have to talk to them. Okay? I’m guessing she’ll have him home within the hour.”
He lumbered out the door in a stunned fog. Last night, Jessa had said nothing about taking his father to Denver, but she must’ve been planning on it. Why would she keep something like that from him?
He wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.
* * *
Jessa couldn’t remember the last time she’d been silent for more than an hour. Even when she was home alone, she had a tendency to talk to herself. But most of the ride home from Denver, Luis had been quiet and introspective, as if processing what he’d learned. And she knew he had to process it alone. He wasn’t like her. He didn’t verbally analyze everything, so she’d let him be while she listened to the sad country songs playing on the radio.
Now that they’d almost made it back to the ranch, the urge to burst into tears intensified again. It wasn’t like Luis would die in three months; she knew it could be worse. But she couldn’t help wondering how long it would be before he’d have to give up the hikes he loved so much, the time wandering in the wilderness that seemed to keep him sane. That would slowly kill him.
“I sure appreciate you coming,” he said, turning his head in her direction for the first time since they’d gotten in her truck.
“I’ll do anything I can to help.” She’d research until they found the best doctors, the latest treatments. “As soon as we get home from the competition, we need to sit down with Lance and go over everything the doctor gave you.” Then they could come up with a plan…
“We?” Luis asked, as though he hadn’t heard right.
With all her apprehension, she’d forgotten to mention that she was tagging along to Vegas. “Lance asked me to come.” Even with the sadness weighting her heart, she smiled. “I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s more than okay,” he said, smiling, too. “I couldn’t be happier.”
She knew he wasn’t talking only about Vegas. As she veered onto the country road that led to the ranch, hope swelled inside her, seeming to stretch her ribs, to give her more room to breathe. They would get Luis through this. All of them. Together. “It won’t be easy to keep it from him.” Even for one more week.
“I know,” he agreed. “But it’s best.”
She turned into Luis’s driveway. “We might have to agree to disagree on—”
Her mouth froze open, the rest of the sentence disintegrating in an explosion of panic. Lance sat on Luis’s front porch. As the truck rolled toward him, he looked up. Even though she couldn’t see his face, she knew. He’d found out where they’d been.
“Oh God.” She slowed and parked, but let the car idle. Her heart idled right along with it.
“You go on home, Jess,” Luis murmured, unbuckling his seat belt. “I’ll handle this.”
It was tempting to take him up on that, to avoid the impending confrontation, but she couldn’t. “No. I’ll stay.” How could she turn around and leave when Lance’s expression had twisted with suspicion and anger? She had to make him understand. There’d be no way to protect him from the truth now.
Grasping at courage, she cut the engine and slowly withdrew the keys.
Luis got out first. While she struggled to find her balance, he approached the porch. “Hey, son. You’ve got some questions, I reckon.”
Jessa hung back,
bracing one hand against the truck’s fender to steady herself.
Without looking in her direction, Lance walked down the steps to meet his father. “What were you doing in Denver, Dad?” he asked, and Jessa didn’t recognize that voice. She’d never heard it before.
“That’s my business,” Luis said, not unkindly. “I’m allowed to have my own life. Don’t have to answer to you.”
Ignoring him, Lance turned to her. The indifference on his face sent a blow to her heart.
“Why did you go to Denver?” He repeated the question, but this time directed it at her.
Jessa eased in a steady breath, trading a look with Luis. She couldn’t lie to Lance. Not right to his face. And he wasn’t about to let this go. He knew something was wrong.
“I had an appointment,” Luis told his son before she could speak. “And I asked Jessa to take me.”
“What kind of appointment?” Lance asked impatiently.
Jessa crept closer to him. They had to tell the truth. Didn’t Luis see that? The longer he stalled, the angrier Lance would be.
“I had to see a doctor. A specialist.”
“A specialist.” He seemed to carefully control his voice, but Jessa recognized the fury rising in his eyes, and she couldn’t take it, couldn’t force him to keep guessing.
“Luis saw a neurologist today,” she blurted. “They diagnosed him with Parkinson’s.”
“What?” Lance staggered back a step, his eyes widening with a sudden wrenching pain. “Jesus, Dad.” The words were breathless. “How could you keep that from me?” He shook his head as though he couldn’t believe it, then set his sights on her. “And how the fuck could you pretend everything was fine? Last night. You knew. And you let me think everything was dandy.” His hand raked through his hair as he paced away from them. “Jesus.”
“Don’t blame Jessa,” Luis said, matching his son’s furious tone. “It wasn’t her fault. I told her to keep it quiet. I wasn’t ready to tell you.”
“You weren’t ready?” Lance yelled. “Well, shit, Dad. By all means, take your time.”
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